- As a new student teacher, some of my strengths include an understanding of the students. I very able to understand what they are thinking, why they are doing something, and what they want/need. I feel this helps not only the students out, but works to my advantage as well. Another thing that I am good at doing is being flexible and creative. I like to take topics that the students usually find boring, and making it some activity that the majority of them honestly like doing and learn a lot at the same time. I also found that I am very organized and consistent in my grading and record keeping. Lastly, I feel that I am able to motivate the students. For an example, almost no one in one class ever turned in HW. When I took over for my CT part of the day and came up with a fascinating article for them to read and respond to for HW...I had 14 turn it in! Even though it was only 14 out of 23....it was MUCH MUCH better than only a few!
- Some of my weaknesses that I have noticed so far include me always being able to draw a line between what is acceptable in the classroom and what isn't. For an example, when a student who used to never do her work was finally participating in a lab with her partner, she kept referring to the microscope as an inappropriate word. She wasn't screaming it, no one heard it but her and her friend, and the humor and giggling ACTUALLY kept them on track. They were talking and making the lab a bit more fun by joking, but for once they were diligently doing their work, and doing it correctly! In this situation, it was hard for me to decide what to do, as in whether to interrupt them from their work and tell them that I heard them and that they shouldn't call the microscope a "bad name" risking them getting offended and not doing their work, or being disruptive and not doing work out of spite. In this situation, I ended up not saying anything to them, they kept to themselves and did great on the lab. I am not saying that it was the right thing to do, but sometimes I have a hard time picking a battle with a student, because in my opinion, if they are learning and doing their work without disrupting others, why put something in the way of that. Now if she was loud, disruptive, or clearly inappropriate, would have said something, but I don't think this was the case at all.
- One other thing that I feel is sort of my weakness is sometimes laughing when I am not "supposed to". Like if they make a joke and my CT is all like "BE QUIET" and the whole class is laughing, sometimes I am caught off guard by the comment (which is usually honestly very funny). I have to literally have to do everything I can to not laugh with the students and hold my composure.